Trust is Powerful
by SythiaSkyfire
Summary: Hugo runs into a mysterious girl who calls herself Carolina and who seems to know a lot about him and his life. She begins to help him with the clocks, but meanwhile, she grows weaker and weaker. Where did this girl come from, and who is she?


**I wrote this story a while ago, before I really knew what I was doing, so it's not very good. /: But I wanted to upload it anywayz.**

**I would separate it into chapters, but I'm too lazy. Maybe someday I will.**

* * *

A brief summary of the story preceding this adaptation: Hugo Cabret lives in a train station in France in the 1940's. His father died in a fire and his uncle took him in. His uncle lived in the walls of the station, maintaining and fixing the big brass clocks from behind. Now Hugo does this. His uncle disappeared. Hugo is alone. Almost. He has the automaton- the mechanical man his father was trying to fix before he died. Hugo meets a girl named Isabel, who has a heart-shaped key that mysteriously fits into the back of Hugo's automaton. They wind it up and it draws a picture of a scene from an early movie. Isabel and Hugo get into a fight over the picture, and Isabel storms away back to her house. Hugo follows her and at her door he tries to stop her from shutting him out by placing his hand between the door frame and the door. Isabel doesn't notice and crushes Hugo's fingers. This is where the book's version of the story ends and ours begins...

* * *

There was a terrible crunching noise. Hugo screamed. Isabel screamed. Someone else was screaming, too, screaming, "Hugo!"

Hugo wanted to run. Footsteps were clattering toward him. He wanted to run all the way back to the dark safety of the station walls, but his hand was still being crushed in the door. The footsteps were drawing nearer.

Suddenly, the door sprang open and Isabel hissed, "You should have taken your hand away!"

The footsteps stopped and Hugo closed his eyes. He expected to feel rough hands grab his shoulders and hear a deep voice yelling, maybe even the station inspector's. It was over. He had been caught and he was going to the orphanage.

But the hands that brushed against his cheek and rested on his arm were gentle, long-fingered and barely larger than his own. A girl's hands.

Isabel was staring at something over Hugo's left shoulder. "Who are you?" she snapped, shutting the door behind her.

A soft voice answered, "A friend." The hands reached for Hugo's injured fingers and he jerked away. "Hugo, look at me." He looked. And his mouth fell open. The girl had the same blue-green-gray eyes he did and the same brown hair so dark it was black. Her cheeks were red from the cold and her hair was wet, tangled and hanging below her shoulders. "Let me see your hand."

Hugo hesitated. Who was this girl? Should he trust her? He held out his hand slowly, the pain bringing salty tears to his eyes.

The girl cradled his fingers in the palm of her left hand and brushed them with her right. Hugo winced with pain and she murmured, "Oh, honey, you hurt them pretty bad." She scooped up a handful of snow and sprinkled it on Hugo's fingers, numbing them somewhat.

Isabel, who had been silent up until then, again cried, "Who are you?"

The girl smiled a small, sad smile and once again answered, "A friend." She stood up and Hugo saw that her clothes were thin and tattered, just like his, and her shoes were soaked through. "Come on, Hugo, let's get you home. If you stay out here you could catch your death."

Hugo glanced back at Isabel, who was glaring at the girl. "I'll see you at the station." He wiped his hand across his eyes, trying not to make the motion too obvious. The girl put a hand on his shoulder and they started walking back toward the station. As they walked, Hugo studied the girl. Her eyes, so eerily similar to his, had a sad look and her lips were bleached of color by the bitter cold. He wondered how she knew where he lived. He considered running and hoping she wouldn't follow him. He shouldn't trust her. He didn't even know her. But he kept walking. If he needed to, he could escape and hide in the station.

The clock tower came into view and snow fluttered down from the dark sky. As they stepped through the glass doors, Hugo sighed. His hand felt as if it was being crushed all over again and every movement made it ache fiercely. He pointed to a vent not far away and the girl nodded. They slipped through the vent and she closed it behind her. The echoes of their heels slapping the floor made it sound like half a dozen others were walking with them.

"How do you know where I live?" Hugo's words came out sharper than he had intended.

"It's a long story… but I suppose we have time." She sighed and in the half-darkness Hugo saw her reach up and fiddle with something on her sleeve. "Well… Once I was checking the time on the clock above the main doors and I thought I saw something behind the number four. It happened again a few days later. Then I noticed that some of the vent covers were open a bit. One day the station inspector was chasing me and…" She shrugged. "You can guess what happened."

They reached Hugo's door and the girl followed him in. Ignoring her, he fumbled with the match box with one hand and ended up dropping one. The girl eased the box out of his hand and lit the candles herself, humming quietly all the while. Then she said, "Take care of yourself, Hugo. And take care of the clocks."

She went toward the door and Hugo said, "Wait." She stopped and turned, her large eyes questioning. "What's your name?"

She tilted her head, as Hugo did when listening to the clocks, and blinked once. "Carolina," she said quietly. "My name's Carolina."

She slipped out the door. Hugo's mind was still spinning with questions. He could feel the gears and cogs in his head whirring at full sped. The door was almost closed when he dashed out into the cold, drippy hallway and yelled, "How do you know my name? Why do you know so much about me?"

Although he couldn't see her, Carolina's voice floated back to him from the darkness of the tunnel. "That's a story for another time. Goodbye, Hugo."

* * *

Hugo tried to do as Carolina had said. He stole ice from the café to put on his hand and checked the clocks. He oiled them and listened to the beat and checked their time against his uncle's railroad watch. And he tried to wind them. But to turn the rod all the way around, to lift those giant weights, took all of his strength and both of his hands. He only managed to get one turn out of the first clock before he sank to the floor, breathing heavily as every inch of his left hand screamed in protest. The second clock also only got one turn, and by the third he could only make himself rotate the lever a half turn. Tears were once again forming in his eyes when he reached the fourth clock, and he felt worse when he remembered that he had twenty-three to go. Nonetheless, he inserted the lever into the back of the clock and threw his weight on it. It lurched back an inch and stuck. He growled like a dog, angry at himself for his weakness. Another inch. His hand felt as if someone was pounding on it with an iron hammer. Another inch. He stifled a groan. Another. He had to stop.

He let go and once again sat down, gazing miserably out at the station through the numbers. His thoughts strayed once again to Carolina, the mysterious girl who had helped him. He thought of her gentle fingers and sad eyes and decided then and there that he trusted her. There was something he couldn't quite place, instinct perhaps, that made him trust her. Maybe it was her worn clothes and sad look. Maybe it was her resemblance to him, as if she was his long-lost older sister. Maybe it was the way she spoke to him, as if they had known each other for years. Hugo blinked away the last of his tears and realized what he was looking at: the green back of the station inspector's coat. He lurched back, away from the numbers, and lost his balance. He flung his arms out to stop his fall- and landed on his injured hand. He howled. The station inspector was right below the clock. He would hear Hugo's scream. Hugo pressed his lips together, sobs shaking his body.

"Hugo?" The voice reached his ears only faintly.

"C-Carolina?"

Suddenly, Carolina was beside him and she was muttering, "Oh, honey… you're all right. Let me see."

He held out his hand right away this time and she produced a bandage from her pocket. As she wrapped the bandage around his fingers, she asked, "Were you trying to wind up the clock?"

He nodded and hiccupped, trying to stop crying.

She tied off the strip of fabric and went to the clock. Grasping the bar firmly, she started turning it. Hugo could see her arms trembling, as if she was just strong enough to keep going, but she never wavered until the clock was fully wound. Then she took a deep breath and swayed on the spot.

"Are you all right?" Hugo asked, worried.

"Don't worry about me," Carolina said shakily. "It's you we need to worry about." She shook herself and said, "Where to next?"

While they walked, Hugo asked, "Is this the time for that other story?"

Carolina tipped her head back to look at the damp ceiling. "I suppose." Hugo ran his good fingers through his hair and glanced at her sideways. She began, "I know a lot about you just because I listen. I first learned your name when you told Mr. Mellies."

"You were watching me?"

"I watch a lot of people, but you're more interesting than most."

Hugo blinked. He had never thought of himself as 'interesting'. He was just Hugo, that's all. "Were you following me?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Why?"

Carolina stopped walking and looked Hugo in the eyes. She bit her lip and Hugo thought she was trying to decide what to say. After an entire half-minute, she scuffed her shoes against the floor and hesitantly said, "You… have a good heart. You try to do good things, even when it would be easier to do bad things. You're all alone, and… I know how hard that is."

Hugo frowned. So Carolina was all alone, too. And she felt sorry for him. He didn't know what she had meant by 'a good heart', but he took it as a compliment. He smiled for the first time in days and she smiled back. They continued until they reached the next clock. They seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement: Hugo oiled the gears, checked the time and listened to the ticking while Carolina wound the clocks up.

Time passed quickly and they spoke little. Carolina's presence was calming- for the first time in a long time, Hugo wasn't lonely. He still had questions, but for the time being he was content to get the work done and stay silent. Before long, fifteen clocks were behind them and they were at the station inspector's clock. The inspector wasn't in his office and they had a clear view of the cage in the corner of his office. Carolina shuddered and rubbed her arms.

"Have you been in there?" Hugo whispered, gesturing to the cage.

"Yes," she whispered back. "Once."

"How did you…?"

"How did I escape?"

"Yes."

"I've found that the station inspector is more lenient about restroom privileges for girls than for boys. He apparently forgot that there are two exits."

Hugo finished dobbing oil onto the mechanisms before saying, "Do you live here?"

"…yes."

"Why haven't I seen you before, then?"

"I've had to learn how to disappear. No one sees or hears me unless I want them to."

"How?"

She smiled mischievously and said, "If I asked you how_ you_ disappear, would you tell me?"

Hugo had to think about that. Eventually he answered, "Probably."

Carolina surprised him by saying, "Then I'll tell you. But not now. I want you to try to figure it out first."

When they were done, Hugo led the way out into the station and to the café. He checked his pockets for change without much hope of finding any. Before he could even take his hand out of his pocket, Carolina was holding two croissants and two juices. Answering his unspoken question, she said, "I can be fast when I need to," and handed him his half. They ate in silence, watching people stream past. Hugo had just taken the last bite out of his croissant when Isabel's voice called out to him.

"Hugo! There you are."

He turned to see Isabel fighting her way through the crowd toward him. "Hello, Isabel."

She arrived at the table, breathless, and sat down in the seat that Carolina had moments before occupied. He looked around at the café. Carolina had, as she had said, disappeared. Not even her empty juice cup was left to mark her existence. It was as if she had melted into the floor.

"Is something wrong?" Isabel asked, fishing a coin out of her purse.

"No."

"What happened to you last night? Who was that girl?"

"She's…" But Hugo had just caught sight of Carolina. She was standing by the flower booth, shaking her head with a finger to her lips. "She's… a friend. She walked me back to the station and put a bandage on my hand." He held up his left hand.

"Can you trust her? I mean, how did she know your name? Why was she just hanging around my house?"

"We can trust her," Hugo said certainly. He had left out large parts of the story on purpose- he didn't think Carolina wanted anyone else to know about her.

He and Isabel talked for a while. Neither of them mentioned the previous day again, and the short conversation had a cold, brittle air. Hugo found himself comparing Isabel to Carolina. Isabel's hair was cropped short, just below her ears, and Carolina's was long and silky, if tangled. Isabel always seemed a little snappish, a little resentful, while Carolina had so far been warm and understanding.

They soon parted and Hugo crept back into the walls. He peered out from behind the numbers, searching for Carolina. She wasn't in the main hall, by the trains, or by the toy shop or near the café. He didn't see her in the walls or in the clock tower. She said she lived in the station, and yet she was nowhere to be found. Finally, he went back to his room and studied the mechanical man, looking for ways he could fix it.

* * *

Carolina was waiting for Hugo the next morning when he went to attend to the clocks. She greeted him with a smile and flipped the hair out of her face. His eyes were drawn to a long cut on her right arm and he asked, "What happened to you?"

Carolina looked down shamefacedly. "I was hungry. I was going to get us breakfast, but the station inspector had other ideas. While I was running…" She fingered the scratch and winced. "I don't know how it happened." Reaching into a pocket, she drew out another bandage.

When Hugo was sure she was all right, he said, "I see what you mean by 'disappear'."

"Have you figured it out yet?"

Hugo shook his head and grabbed the oil can with his right hand. "No. Will you tell me?"

"Not yet."

They worked on the clocks diligently for the next half hour and while they worked, Hugo thought. Carolina hadn't made a sound when she left the café table. He hadn't heard her running, and yet she had gotten all the way to the flower cart in just a few seconds. He thought of the vents, but there wasn't one in the vicinity of the café. It had to be something simple that he had overlooked. Finally he smiled and said, "Unless you can fly, I don't know."

Carolina laughed and said, "You'd be surprised… I'll give you one more day to guess. Then I'll tell you."

Once they finished, Carolina accompanied Hugo to the abandoned apartments above the main hall. When he opened his door, Carolina held out her hand. In it were three tiny mechanical parts that he was sure would fit into the automaton. He took them with wide eyes and rolled them over in his hands. "Thank you," he said, but Carolina was already gone. Hugo went into his room, placed the parts on the dusty trunk that served as his desks and went to work. That is, he tried to. With one of his hands practically useless, it was impossible to correctly place the small parts. Eventually he gave up and walked to the bookstore, hoping to find information on the movie the mechanical man had drawn.

* * *

Hugo's head was spinning when he found Isabel near the toy booth. "Your godfather made movies," he blurted without preamble.

"What? But he won't even let me see movies. Where did you…?"

So Hugo explained how he had found the book on the earliest movies, a large chunk of which Georges Mellies himself had made. He then took his half of the automaton's drawing out of his pocket and said, "He made this movie- A Trip to the Moon- and that's what it drew."

Isabel was silent for a moment. Then she said, "So, it was Papa Georges'."

Hugo looked away and said, "My dad found it in the museum attic and we fixed it together. I just finished fixing it, but it still needs some parts."

Isabel said, "We should show Papa Georges the book and the drawing. He would see that he hasn't been forgotten and he might feel better."

Hugo nodded slowly. He didn't like so many people knowing about the mechanical man, but it couldn't be helped. "All right. I'll go get the book. It's in my room."

He turned to leave, but Isabel caught his arm and said, "No, wait! Not today. We'll wait until tomorrow. Then we can get ready beforehand."

"Good idea. When should I meet you in front of your house?"

"Noon. Meet me at noon."

They both went to the toy booth to collect a few coins for Isabel to take to her godmother. Hugo watched the brass block across the hallway. The hands moved across its face slowly, like the sun across the sky. Once they had enough money, they closed up shop and parted by the front doors. He went back to his room and set the book near the door so he could easily find it the next day. Hungry, he headed right back out to get some milk and ice for his hand. Making sure no one was watching, he snagged the milk and ice and crouched beside the cart to drink it.

A group of people were talking nearby and Hugo listened. "Found at the bottom of the river," one voice said. "Been there for years, maybe."

Another voice joined in. "They found a greasy old flask in one of the pockets and do you know who it was? The old timekeeper that worked at the station!"

Hugo dropped the milk and the glass shattered. His uncle was dead. What would he do? Everyone would wonder who had been running the clocks. He would be discovered. The café owner spun around at the noise of breaking glass and cried, "My milk! So you're the one who's been stealing from me!"

Hugo sprang up and ran as fast as he could for the nearest vent. Voices were yelling behind him. He dived into the vent and sprinted up the tunnel, panting. Another set of footsteps was running behind him. He sighed in relief. Carolina would help him. He looked back and opened his mouth to call to her. But it wasn't Carolina. It was the station inspector. Hugo panicked. He forced himself to run even faster, his shoes slapping the stones and his breath coming in sharp gasps. There was no time for thinking, no time for anything but willing his legs to move faster. He wiggled out of a vent with the station inspector right at his heels. He weaved through the crowd, all the while hearing the station inspector's shouts of, "Stop that child! Stop him!"

"Carolina," Hugo screamed, "Carolina!" He dodged a group of people and skidded on the polished floor. His sense of direction had been left behind in the walls and he looked around wildly for the exit. "Carolina!"

"Hugo!" Carolina's voice was strained, as if she was yelling at the top of her lungs, but also quiet. She wasn't close enough.

Hugo looked over his shoulder at the fast-approaching station inspector- and tripped. He fell several feet down and hit something harder than rock. He had miraculously avoided landing on his hand, but his right knee had hit iron and his arms were grazed. He was on the train tracks. Just as he was desperately trying to climb up out of the trench with one hand, he saw it. A train was pulling into the station. People were screaming above him. The terrible noise of the train's brakes combined with the rumbling of the tons of metal hurtling toward him made it sound as if the whole station was falling around him. He scrabbled at the bricks of the trench and his heart felt as if it was about to explode. The train was coming closer.

"Hugo!" Carolina's voice was closer. She sounded as terrified as Hugo was. "Hugo, I'm coming!"

But Hugo knew it was too late. The train was only fifty feet away and speeding towards him. He jumped, trying to catch a hold of the edge, but he wasn't tall enough. The train was forty feet away. He jumped again. Thirty feet away.

"Hugo!" Carolina's voice was, oddly, almost directly above him. What happened next was so fast Hugo barely had time to process it. Carolina was rising up out of the crowd like the moon rising in the sky. Behind her were two dull gold and white wings. She shot above the heads of the crowd, her wings beating like a bird's, and dove toward Hugo. The train was twenty feet away. Carolina thrust out a hand and yelled, "Take my hand!"

Hugo jumped with his arms outstretched. Carolina caught his right hand and Hugo's feet were jerked off the ground. The train was ten feet away. She heaved Hugo up towards the platform. Five feet. His feet touched the platform. Three feet. Carolina pushed him back, away from the edge. Two. She beat her wings so hard they were gold blurs. One. Her eyes locked onto Hugo's and she opened he mouth. And the train hit.

"No!" Hugo fell to his knees. Everything was muted. Carolina's face swam in front of his eyes. "No, no, no, no…"

Hugo would only understand what the people around him were saying later. "Did you see that girl?"

"She had… wings."

"She was an angel!"

"Where is she?"

The black sides of the train flashed by. "No," he whispered, hands covering his eyes. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks. "No."

The station inspector's voice was speaking in gruff tones. His hands grabbed Hugo's shoulders. But Hugo couldn't stand, he wouldn't. How could he ever stand again? "Young man, you're coming with me. Where are your parents?"

"Carolina," Hugo groaned.

The station inspector shook Hugo so that his chin hit his chest. "I said, where are your parents?"

"Gone," whispered Hugo, "They're gone."

"Then it's straight to the orphanage with you."

"No!" Hugo surged to his feet, newfound energy scalding his limbs. He didn't remember running, but the next thing he knew he was brushing past ladies clutching handbags and men wearing suits. He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He found himself by the front of the train, clutching the guardrail. He scanned the engine and the tracks, whispering, "Where are you?" She had to be there. She had to. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Carolina!"

No reply. The station inspector's arms wrapped around Hugo's chest. Hugo screamed. He kicked and squirmed and beat his good fist against the station inspector's green sleeve, but it did no good. "No… Carolina…"

A glimmer of gold. Out of the corner of his eye, Hugo saw movement. People around him were exclaiming and drawing back. One woman said, "Oh, that poor thing."

He didn't look. He couldn't bear to see Carolina's limp form in the arms of a doctor.

"Let… him… go."

Hugo wrenched free of the station inspector's grasp and whirled around. Carolina was standing three yards away, one arm curled around her ribs and a bruise the size of an apple on her cheek. Her wings were crumpled and stained with crimson. Jewel-bright drops of blood spattered the floor with every step. Hugo ran to her, his throat too constricted for words. She swayed and her pale faced turned paper white, but her gaze was still clearly fixed on the station inspector.

Hugo reached her and gasped, "You're a- you're not- are you all right?"

Carolina enfolded Hugo in a one-armed hug and murmured, "Don't worry about me. It's you we need to worry about." She stepped forward and held Hugo between her right wing and her back. Coppery blood ran down his arm.

The station inspector was gasping at Carolina, his eyes as large as the buttons on his jacket. He blinked several times and said, "Y-young lady, this boy-"

"Is under my protection," Carolina cut in. Her broken wings trembled. Reality was just dawning on Hugo. Carolina had wings. She was an- but no, he couldn't bring himself to think that. "And you will leave him alone," Carolina growled.

The station inspector scowled and stepped forward. "See here, I don't know who- or what- you are, but I demand an explanation. Aren't you that orphan I caught?"

Carolina leaned towards him and bared her teeth. "If you want me to tell you, I will, but don't expect me to say what you want me to." She swayed again and Hugo put a hand on her arm to steady her.

The station inspector shook his head incredulously and waved a hand. "Yes, yes, out with it."

Carolina beckoned to him and whispered in his ear. Hugo couldn't hear what she said. The station inspector drew back and spat, "You-?"

"Me."

"You- you-" The station inspector straightened his green jacket and opened and closed his mouth a few times. Meanwhile, Carolina was leaning more and more on Hugo's shoulder. He whispered, "Carolina, you're getting weaker…"

"Don't worry about me. Everything will be fine. I promise."

The station inspector finally snapped his mouth shut and turned on his heel to march off. As soon as he was out of sight, Carolina collapsed.

Hugo dropped to all fours next to her and cried, "You're hurt!"

Carolina smiled a small, sad smile, as she had done when Hugo first met her. "I'm glad… I'm glad you're… safe," she murmured.

Hugo took her hand and whimpered, "I want you to be safe, too."

Carolina's hand was cool, almost cold, and shaking. "Everything will be all right," she said. Her eyes were closing.

Hugo realized that he was kneeling in a thin layer of red liquid. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around Carolina. "Stand up," he pleaded. "Please."

"Take care of yourself, Hugo…" Carolina's eyes closed and her breath slowed.

"No… You can't…" Hugo jumped up and yelled, "I need a doctor here! Help, please! Anyone, help me, she's hurt!"

A few people shuffled forward, but no one seemed to know what to do. Hugo felt as cold as Carolina as he felt her wrist. There was no pulse. "No, no, no… I already lost you once…" Hugo's tears splashed onto Carolina's gray lips. She had spent the last of her energy defending him. He smoothed back her hair and stroked the blood-soaked feathers on her wings. He placed her hands at her sides. "Please come back." He bent forward until his forehead rested on his knees and he wept. Footsteps and voices swirled around him like water, but he was left alone with only his shock and grief for bitter company. "Come back. Come back."

He stayed there for what felt like hours. It might have been minutes. Time didn't matter anymore. He wished all the clocks in the station would stop. When he looked up at last, a small crowd had gathered around him. People asked questions and offered to take him home or contact his parents, but Hugo just shook his head and continued to stare at Carolina, his cheeks wet. She was so pale that even the bruise on her cheek seemed to be fading. Hugo frowned. The bruise _was_ smaller. It was, in fact, shrinking as he watched. He touched the place on her cheek where the bruise was and when he took his hand away, it was gone. Carolina's lips were regaining their color. The gashes on her wings were closing.

Hugo gasped and stumbled back. It was as if a light had been lit behind Carolina's features. Color was spreading from her lips to the rest of her face. Hugo's heart was beating faster than it had been on the train tracks. He couldn't believe his eyes. He knew this wasn't possible. She was gone. She couldn't come back. His eyes were tricking him. But he couldn't stop the word that rose to his lips. "Carolina…" Carolina's eyelashes fluttered. Hugo's breath caught in his throat. Could she be…? No, it was impossible. His heart leaped anyway. "Carolina?"

She opened her eyes. Those blue-green-gray eyes were the most wonderful things Hugo had ever seen. "Hugo…"

"Carolina!" Hugo threw himself on Carolina, hugging her tightly. She wasn't shaking. She wasn't cold. She wasn't gone. "Carolina, what happened? You were- you were…"

Carolina sat up, hugging Hugo back, and said, "I promised you that everything would be fine."

"I don't understand. You were dead. How can you be alive?" Hugo studied Carolina. She didn't look any different from the day before except for her wings. She _was_ Carolina, but how could she be?

"You asked me to come back, Hugo. You saved me." She laughed and got to her feet, pulling Hugo up with her. She seemed happier than Hugo had ever seen her. She spun around in circles, her arms held aloft, as if she was dancing. Hugo stood there, still awestruck, until she grabbed his hands and spun him around with her. Her eyes, so much like the ocean, twinkled as her merriment affected Hugo, as well, and he allowed himself to smile. When he glanced down, he saw that they were still standing in the puddle of Carolina's blood. He imagined how odd it must look: two children, one with wings, dancing happily in a puddle of blood. The image was so absurd that he started laughing, too.

Quite suddenly, Carolina stopped and said, "Don't you have an appointment at noon?"

"Oh, yes! But how can we go looking like…" He looked at himself and at Carolina. They were both covered in blood and sprinkled with a few golden feathers. "… This?"

Carolina took Hugo's hand and started for the exit. "I'm sure we'll figure something out together."

So they walked away toward a new life.


End file.
